When the French Socialist Party's leading hope was arrested on sexual assault charges in New York, the Sofitel hotel, where he was staying, informed its Paris headquarters. The Accor hotel group's security chief immediately then phoned the news through to President Nicolas Sarkozy's office. d.Read more

It is the last French merchant ship that is equipped with sails: the three-master "Le Belem". For 115 years, the oceans oft he world have been a home to the the ship. It is unique and doubtlessly deserves to be classified as a historical monument. For two days, the people of Nice can now experience this piece of maritime history at first hand.Read more

Yesterday I was interviewed about the riots in the UK by a French radio station. The fact that I was asked to comment struck me as strange at first, “I’m not there, I’m in France, what can I say?” was my initial thought.Read more

At first, the affair looked like Manna from Heaven for Nicolas Sarkozy and his Union for a Popular Movement party, or UMP. In the space of one weekend in May, his main opponent in next year's presidential election was eliminated and humiliated.Read more

In my first year living on the Riviera, strapped for cash and linguistically challenged, I worked a season in an ostentatious privately owned villa. By the second week it was hard to see the sun rising through tears of exhaustion.Read more